VOTE FOR MY NIECE!!

My sister Emily submitted this photo to the I Care-Childrens Eye Foundation calendar contest for 2011. The pictures are supposed to represent love-love between a child and parent/family member or a child experiencing something they love and enjoy. Please go to the following link and vote for her. Last I checked, her photo was on page 9 of the photos.
http://www.childrenseyefoundation.org/Programs/Eye-Care-for-Kids/Vote.aspx

Meet the Teacher

Well, school begins in 2 days!! Joelle has already been going to her school. She is doing well in the 2's classroom. They encourage the kids to try the potty and she does each day, she just doesn't typically pee. On Friday she tried the potty 3 times and actually peed once. She thinks it is great, but I don't think she is really ready for potty training yet. This year she only has 5 kids in her room so far. She is the oldest so that kind of stinks.
David had his 7th grade orientation on Thursday. It took 2 hours!! He is all set up for school. Tryouts for Flag Football begin on Thursday. His day will be from 9-4 and then practices are 4-5:30. He will be very busy! WE will be very busy. I can't really believe he is in Junior High. Thank GOD he is a good, nice hearted kid.
Megan met her teacher on Thursday as well. She has David's old 5th grade teacher. David told Megan to not make her mad!! She is really looking forward to a school year without David. She is ready to spread her wings!!
I guess both my kids are ready to spread their wings. I think it will be good for them to have some separation to really come into themselves.
Sports will be starting soon, so I better enjoy my quiet time:)

My Lumberjack

There is nothing like a handsome man doing manly work:)

Good Times on the Lake!

So, I am still posting for our trip to Wisconsin. I have been back to work for a week already so that is why this has been taking so long:) One of the best things about being in Wisconsin is the fact that with a 50 yard walk we are at the dock and on the pontoon boats ready to have a relaxing afternoon.


We play hard and we rest hard!!

Baby Love

It has been wonderful to have the summer off and be able to spend time with my kids. Joelle has turned into such a love bug. We can be doing anything and she will come up to me and say "Hugs, hugs, hugs" until I give her a hug. I was worried that she would have a difficult time going back to daycare. UNFOUNDED worries!! When I told her on Monday that the next day she would be going back to school to see her friends she got crazy excited!! She was so happy to being going back to school. When I dropped her off this morning, she was excited to be in the 2's classroom. When I told her goodbye, she said "You go your school mommy?" How adorable is that. She impresses me so much with all she has learned. It seems like just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. She has also turned into a very caring, nurturing, little girl. I worked today and then after work there was a get together at my principal's house so I did not get home until about 7pm. When I asked Joelle how her day was at school, she said "Good, how your day school mommy?" It melts my heart. Children truly are God's gift to the world.

My Megan

The little girls just love Megan. We are going to find out what type of babysitting classes she can take here in Phoenix, but she is a natural with kids. She enjoys entertaining, playing and reading to the little ones.

Fire Starter

Every camp fire needs someone to light it and that someone in our family is Megan. Grandpa Bob sets it up, Megan lights it, Steve uses the make-shift poker and keeps the flames coming, and David puts logs on it when it begins to die down. Having camp fires at the end of the day is a great way to unwind and visit with family. Funny stories are shared, beer is consumed, and enjoyment is had by all. Especially when there are smores. David and Megan both like to torch their marshmallows and eat them when they are like charcoal. By the end of our vacation we had run out of graham crackers so the kids were having Hershey bar smores- two pieces of chocolate with a marshmallow (charred)in the middle. Talk about sugar overload!!

Bay Beach, Green Bay

We went to Bay Beach in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The great thing about this amusement park is that it is CHEAP!!! And seriously so. The ride tickets are 25 cents a piece and no ride is more than 2 tickets, actually most rides are only 1 ticket. The concessions are reasonable as well. The park is right on the shore of Lake Michigan. There is fun for everyone!! David and Megan enjoyed the bigger rides and the little kids had a great time on their rides. I took Joelle down the big slide and as we went down the first drop she said "My no like it Mommy." I was very happy that she was able to finish without crying. She really liked the rest of the rides, but the shark airplane was her favorite. After she rode in it for the 3rd time, she got out walked to the front of the plane and kissed it. She walked to me and said "I love my shark." All in all, it was a terrific day.

Fishing

I remember when I was little and my dad would take me and my siblings fishing. We were never really interested in fishing, but WOW, were the sodas and candy bars worth it! As I got older I would go with my dad to keep him company. He would fish and I would drink sodas, eat candy bars, and read a book. I even went ice fishing with him every Saturday at 6am. On the way to the lake we would stop at Kwik Trip and get cappuccinos. I sat in the shanty by the heater and read, while my dad was busy augging holes to fish out of. I never really got fishing, which is why I am so glad that my kids do. You should see them on the boat. They are in a zone. They touch and bait leeches! I still won't touch a leech. They will even kiss a fish! I enjoy being on the boat and being able to just watch them. And as always, it is more fun to fish when you catch something!!

Wagon Rides

Joelle loves the wagon at Grandma's House. But what she loves most about the wagon is that David takes her on rides around the house. She gets buckled in and David takes off. He gives her a safe, wild ride. You can hear her screams of joy all around the yard. If he would agree to it, she would make him take her on rides all day and all night!!

The Little Girls

Last summer we went shopping at Cedar Creek and we were able to get these adorable shirts for the little girls. Last year we took family pictures and it was fairly chaotic and difficult, because we had all these little girls who were not able or unwilling to follow directions. This year it was amazing how they had grown. I told them all where to go and who to stand next to and they did!! It was amazing. I was able to take pictures in two different places and they each turned out!! These girls are so lucky to have cousins close in age. I hope they continue to enjoy each other and become close friends.

Aaaahhhhhh

Nothing like getting crazy with the family:)

Fish Fry

We had a big fish fry and even fried up the fish that David and Megan caught at Pelican Lake. Megan was called in to help bread the fish. This is a yearly job for her. The fish was great!

Mission Lake

Our first journey to Mission Lake proved to be eventful. David and Megan went fishing on the pontoon with Uncle Travis, so Emily and I thought it would be a great time to go to Mission Lake with the little girls. It was a humid slightly overcast day, but very hot. Joelle did not like the sandy beach. She doesn't like to get "yucky". All I heard in the beginning was "Yucky momma" as she held up her hands for me to clean. Once we got in the water she was all good. Katey loved the water as well. She waded in up to her chest. Makenna liked the beach and had fun in the sand. As you can see, Joelle decided she did not like the taste of sand.

We Like it Spicy!

Doesn't everybody know that hot sauce and oreos go together like rum and coke?! I don't recall how this came up, but Megan decided that in the spirit of being a Pratt, hot sauce must be included with the oreos! Everyone thought they were crazy, but oreo after oreo they added more and more hot sauce and had a blast doing it.

Pelican Lake

This year Grandpa Bob decided it was high time for the kids to go on a "real" fishing trip. He took them to Pelican Lake by Anitgo. They would be fishing in the big boat, which we have only ever used for crusing Lake DuBay. They had to get up at 5 in the morning to fish. As you can see, they slept on the way there! They had a good time and caught fish! Some BIG fish! The kids fished all day and did not return until about 4 in the afternoon. They got to watch Grandpa Bob fillet the fish as well. I am sure that was pretty interesting. The first trip went so well that Grandpa Bob took them again. David caught the biggest fish of the summer during this trip. Doesn't that Northern Pike look great!!

Exercise Anyone??

While I sat on the pontoon that was docked and read a book, the kids took out the paddle boat. Initially they thought they might be able to fish off the boat, but the wind proved to strong. Once they resigned themselves to not fishing, they paddled away and had a nice trip!

Rainy Weather and the Water Park

The first few days in Wisconsin were just gorgeous. Then the rain came. It was overcast and cloudy. The weather report stated that we were going to have rain for 2-4 days! We decided that the kids could use a rain day at the water park in Cedar Creek. It had been 2 years since we had been there, so Joelle would really enjoy it and David and Megan would have a lot of fun on the water slides. The kids were able to run and play and burn off some of their engery. Joelle had a great time. She wasn't so sure about the huge water bucket that fell on you and got you all wet, but she didn't cry. She loved the teeter totter in the kids area.

David and Megan had a lot of fun trying to cross the logs! I am not sure how many times they acutally made it across without falling, but I give them credit for continuing to try! They would fall on the log and then get tossed into the water. I am surprised they weren't black and blue by the time we went home.

The Fourth of July!!

This year we were at the cottage celebrating with Paul and Judy's family and Jack and Becky and Kari. We had a great meal and when it got dark, the kids were able to light some small fireworks. David and Megan did not know how to use a lighter so it was a little difficult for them to light the fireworkds, but they had a good time anyway. Joelle wasn't so sure.....



But by the end, she was pretty excited about the lights and noise!

Visiting Aunt Emily

Joelle and I went to see Emily's new house. The house is great. Joelle had a great time playing with Katey and Makenna. David and Megan got to go on their first REAL fishing trip with Grandpa Bob while Joelle and I were in Eau Claire. They went to a lake in Antigo and spent the day fishing on the boat.

A Gorgeous Day on the Lake

Joelle did a great job driving us to the perfect spot on the lake. It was a bright, sunny day with a nice breeze. The perfect day for taking out the pontoon and swimming. It was so relaxing for the adults and a lot of fun in the water for the kids!

David and Megan had a great time in the water. The minute we dropped anchor, they were off and swimming. The water was very refreshing.

Once David and Megan were in the water, there was no stopping Joelle. She was ready to jump in before I was in the water. I was very proud of the fact that she was so fearless. She got in the water and swam three different times. She really liked it. She also got a little silly on the boat as you can see!